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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709432">Country Style</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/What_Do_I_Do_Now/pseuds/What_Do_I_Do_Now'>What_Do_I_Do_Now</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wild Kratts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bickering, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Time to throw some of my headcannons for this man at y'all :), Yeah you read that right, You and zach, gender neutral reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:34:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/What_Do_I_Do_Now/pseuds/What_Do_I_Do_Now</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You moved from the country for a job as a secretary in New York.</p><p> You instead meet the most insufferable man you’ve ever met, and with who your step-father was, that’s saying a lot.</p><p>How did you end up being his secretary again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zach Varmitech/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. New York, New York</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Because I love this evil bastard. And no matter how I look, high or low, under rocks and in the trees, I cannot find one, ONE Zach x reader, yet everywhere I fcking look,</p><p>Krattcest. SO MUCH FKING KRATTCEST. I JUST WANT THE TWIG MAN. FFS.</p><p>(I have three little sisters and was raised christian, so krattcest is just weird all the way around for me.)</p><p>Anyway, enjoy chapter one of Zach and you, dear reader. No krattcest here, y'all safe.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaves blew past you as you practically skipped through Central Park, coffee in hand as you stared around your new surroundings in awe. It didn’t matter if you lived here a week already, being the sweet country bumpkin you were you found every day filled with new adventures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Skyscrapers and small shops lined every street, so you never had a dull moment exploring your block. Your neighbors were grumpy, but friendly, and more than happy to point you to places of interest. Your new apartment had a beautiful view of Central Park, which you were thankful for. You had spent the last three days sitting on your windowsill with your favorite tea staring out over the park and city, a soft smile on your face as you read your favorite book with soft lofi playing from your old laptop, wondering what else you would do before you started your new job.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was actually your ederly neighbor Benson that suggested a walk in the park, “-Because, doll, you ain’t lived in Manhattan ‘till you walked through that park without a care in the world. Nothin’ like a dark roast and a newspaper during September, tell you what…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he was right. New York was beautiful in the fall, you finally decided. A lot of people, sure, and it was noisy as all heck with the cars and whatnot; but it was wonderful. It was nothing like the small, quiet country town you were born in, but you supposed that was what made it wonderful to you. It contrasted so much with what you already knew, being ranch raised with all your old neighbors knowing everything about anything. Here, you were nobody. Just a twenty-something-year-old secretary taking a delightful walk through Central Park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting out a soft sight, you plopped yourself down on a bench and watched the branches around you sway in the wind with a smile. You crossed your legs, closed your eyes, and took a sip from your cooled coffee, contentment filling your being. For a moment, nothing could ruin this perfect afternoon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Ahem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You furrowed your brows, letting out a questioning hum as you swallowed your beverage and opened your eyes to see an impatient looking man glaring at you. He was… Small. And pale. If it wasn’t daytime you would’ve wondered if he was a vampire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh… Howdy? Can I he-” He interrupted you with a sneer and crossed arms, which made mild annoyance flare in your chest. “You’re sitting on my bench. Go sit somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment you stared at him slack-jawed, taking in this rude runt of an individual who dared to ruin a stranger's day by making such an outrageous request. There was </span>
  <em>
    <span>plenty</span>
  </em>
  <span> of room beside you for this twig of a man, and considering you were raised by literal cowboys you weren’t about to tolerate such blatant disrespect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, first off, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>, there’s plenty of room fer both of us. No reason to kick me off of ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>your bench.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Second,” you held up a finger when he tried to say something else, “I didn’t see yer name </span>
  <em>
    <span>anywhere </span>
  </em>
  <span>on this bench, so you have absolutely no reason to say it’s ‘yours’. Third, I was having a </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful </span>
  </em>
  <span>day before you made such a </span>
  <em>
    <span>rude </span>
  </em>
  <span>demand. What excuse do you have that you ruin a stranger’s day, hmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You almost lost your nerve at how red his face went, eye twitching as he glared at you. You didn’t though, and returned a glare of your own with stubbornness written into your posture. Then, slowly, he took a deep agitated  breath and closed his eyes, returning to his pale complexion before he let out a low chuckle that sent chills down your spine. He opened his eyes to examine you, catching a glint of madness in those jade orbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, obviously you don’t know who I am, so I’ll let that slide. I’ll give you another chance. </span>
  <b>
    <em>Move</em>
  </b>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You scoffed, leaning back with a scowl, “You can keep threatenin’ me ‘till the cows come home, </span>
  <em>
    <span>buster.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I ain’t movin’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To your confusion, he looked almost disappointed as he tapped a finger on his cheek, still examining you. Then he shrugged, “Well, can’t say I didn’t try to be civil.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a snap of his fingers, you felt your jacket collar get snatched by something. You didn’t have time to yell a protest before you found yourself flung into a puddle by a brute of a robot. If your little argument didn’t catch passerbys’ attention before, you certainly had their attention now. You stumbled up with a shocked gasp, staring down at your drenched attire covered in both mud and coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a growl, you glowered at the man before you, who had taken your spot with a grin as he smoothed his black trench coat. He crossed his legs and folded his hands over his knees as he gleefully giggled at your outraged state. He looked like a damned child on christmas…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You…” You seethed at him. The only other man to elicit such rage in you was your step-father, the whole reason you left your hometown in the first place. He tilted his head at you </span>
  <em>
    <span>still smiling </span>
  </em>
  <span>and pressed his hand to his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who? Me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You clenched your fists, feeling your own face turning red as you fought the lump forming in your throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You pointed at him, “Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you. You</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Are the </span>
  <em>
    <span>rudest, most </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>horrid</em>
  </b>
  <span> man I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>had the displeasure of meeting!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You felt a little satisfaction at his offended expression, which quickly turned into one of pure outrage as he looked around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- Wha- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just who the hell do you think you are!?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I could ask you the same thing!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot moved in the corner of your eye, and with one last loathing glare-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You threw your quarter full coffee cup at him, ruining his pretty black trenchcoat, and ran the other direction.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His blood curdling scream of rage echoed behind you as the whirring of the robot grew louder. Racing out of the entrance to Central Park, you panickedly looked around for an escape, deciding your apartment was the safest place to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Booking it down the street, you faintly heard the whirring fade, probably going back to who ever that horrible man was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stopping in front of your apartment building, you leaned over, hands on your knees breathing heavily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doll? What’s the matta? You look horrible, what happened!?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Benson was standing at the door with a bag of groceries, looking quite concerned. You glanced up, a hiccup erupting from you at the worried old man, who placed a hand on your back and steered you into your home. He led you all the way up to your apartment, demanding to know what happened, and you told him. Everything. He sighed in agitation when you described the man, pinching the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The man you met was Zach Varmitech, the richest man in this city. Sounds like you got on his bad side--Hey! No, no, no, don’t look so worried, Doll! He hates everyone! I’m not surprised a sweetheart like you snapped, kid. He’s not a nice guy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You stopped in front of your apartment much sooner than you liked. You forced a smile and turned to Benson, “Thanks, Ben.. I’ll be good from here..” He smiled and ruffled your hair before walking towards his apartment. “Good. Have a good first day of work tomorrow, doll! And remember my door is always open!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You felt a genuine smile tug on your lips as you closed the door, but it quickly faded. You had to check something stat..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peeling off your drenched coat, you raced to your laptop, quickly opening the job application you were accepted for. And your heart sank all the way through your stomach. Past your toes.. It probably sank into the sewer....</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Varmitech Industries.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>You covered your face. Could people die twice? It felt like it…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>----------------------------------------------------------------------</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>You did not sleep well. In fact, you didn’t sleep at all, the feeling of dread clawing at your stomach at the thought of going home. You worked so hard for this position. Everyone had told you you’d never make it in the big city, that you’d fail. You stubbornly pushed on, passing their expectations for you. If you went home because you lost your temper at your new (possibly ex) boss, they’d never let you live it down. You’d live your life in double exile…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throwing the pillow off your face, you checked the clock.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>5:24 am.</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You had to be there at 7:00…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Groaning, you rolled out of bed and dragged yourself to the shower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was 5:46 by the time you got your favorite blouse and dress pants on. You were out the door by six and deemed you had enough time to grab a comfort coffee. Walking down to your favorite shop, you weighed the option of getting a coffee for your boss to get on his good graces. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t look so worried, Doll! He hates everyone!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>… Somewhat good graces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was 6:39 as you stepped off the bus in front of the huge black building you were certain you wouldn’t even spend an hour in, your favorite drink in one hand and a dark roast in the other. You took a deep breath, eyeing the door to your doom. You exhaled, accepting your fate as you entered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was much larger on the inside than it looked… It was 6:59 by the time you raced to the briefing room you were supposed to go to for orientation from the board. You heard muffled voices, and you almost choked at the sound of a familiar voice shout alarmingly close to the door, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>There is absolutely </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>nothing </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>wrong with my organization! I don’t need a secretary, and I’ll tell them that when they get-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The large double doors opened, and you were nose to nose with Zach Varmitech. Your boss. The man you threw coffee at. And disrespected. And insulted..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he seemed to understand </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>what was going on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hell fucking no. No.” He threw his hands up and went back into the room, where you saw other well dressed people. “Remember what I told you happened yesterday?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An older woman raised an eyebrow, “You angered a New Yorker and they threw coffee at you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pointed to you with a sick self-satisfied grin, “The secretary you hired-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-Is from out of town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zach’s expression fell as he turned to her, “Wha-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every secretary we’ve found for you has either quit or been driven mad with your ridiculous behavior. And all of them are high-ranking citymen with years of experience and agendas. This one,” She walked over to you with a kind expression and put a hand on your arm, “Is from the country, fresh out of college with no agendas, experience to be gained, and the guts to stand up to you. Even when you throw them into mud puddles.” She glanced at the dark roast and smiled. “And look, they got you coffee! Dark roast, your favorite!” She took the coffee with a wink and handed it to the seething man, his face red again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Other board members walked past you with ‘Good lucks’ and ‘Don’t let ‘im get to you, kid’. The woman was the last to leave. Gripping both double doors, she looked you in the eyes and gave a soft smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, hun. You got this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a soft bang, you were left in the room with a very angry Zach Varmitech. You slowly turned toward him, wondering what the hell you were going to do now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was probably best to ask what he had for you, even though he sounded more than confident in himself when it came to organization.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So.. S-Sir… Do you have any work for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at you. For the first time since you’ve known this man, he was completely unreadable. He took a long drink of his coffee, before saying, “Nope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You blinked at him surprised as he shrugged, “As you’ve probably heard, I don’t need one. I organize everything myself, or I have my Zacbots do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You furrowed your brow, “Zacbo- Oh the robot. Wait, Zacbot</span>
  <em>
    <span>s plural?</span>
  </em>
  <span> You have more of those-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, a lot more. And they share a collective memory bank, so they certainly remember you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled at how you paled, obviously enjoying you deciphering what that could mean. He walked closer, downing the rest of his coffee as he stood in front of you. He was shorter than you, but that didn’t stop you from leaning back as he glared into your eyes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>most definitely remember.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sweat ran down the back of your neck as he evilly smiled and handed you his empty cup.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want work? Why don’t you get me more bean juice? It’ll be by </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>the easiest job I’ll give you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You gulped as you took the cup. Seemingly satisfied, he turned and walked toward what was obviously his chair, sitting down and swiveling away from you with a wave. Shaking, you turned and went to get the madman his coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least you didn’t get fired...</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hazy Days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chappy two... Don't gotta summary lol</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>To say you were tired was a cruel joke of an understatement. With you as the punchline. You had no idea what possessed you to stay up for <em> two days straight </em>with this small but absolute unit of a man, who didn’t eat or sleep and seemed to run solely on caffeine, egotism and spite.</p><p> </p><p>After about two weeks of grueling work with Zach (he mostly used you for grunt work, running around the tower to collect things you were growing increasingly sure he was leaving on purpose) you noticed that he never seemed to leave the building. When you would clock out at exactly ten, he would still be in his office pouring over some robot design, program code, or the occasional paperwork required of CEOs. When you entered at seven or the occasional six thirty, he’d be in the same position, muttering incomprehensibly to himself until he realized you were there.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, curiosity got the better of you, and one night you made the mistake of asking to stay later than usual just to see what he would do. He had raised an eyebrow at you with a sickeningly sweet smile and said you could stay as long as you thought you could keep up. You didn’t know what he meant until the first rays of sunshine shone through the windows and you felt the first wave of exhaustion hit. Zach, however, seemed to be unfazed. He simply looked up when you pointed it out and said, “Okay, and?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ai- Ain’t you tired, sir?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm.. No, not really…” He donned his trademark smirk and sneered, “Why? Are you?”</p><p> </p><p>You had opened your mouth to give a biting retort, but your addled mind forced out a gritted, “Not at all, sir.”</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, he looked almost impressed. Almost. Then he shrugged and got up with his papers, walking out of the room without a second glance at you.</p><p> </p><p>And so day two began.</p><p> </p><p>Your performance got sloppier as the day progressed, and if Zach noticed he didn’t seem to care. He just kept going, never seeming to keep still, tapping his foot randomly and silently mouthing nothings as he scribbled down whatever he was thinking. You were wondering when the last time he slept was, seeing he wasn’t running out of energy anytime soon, and found yourself voicing the question.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, Mister Varmitech, sir, may I ask when you slept last?”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t look up from the order he was reading, taking a sip of coffee, “Three days ago, for exactly six hours.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Three days ago. </em> You couldn’t believe it. You had a full nights sleep before these two days of sleep deprived hell, running on fumes barely functioning, and this man was running on <em> six hours of sleep from </em> <b> <em>three days ago.</em> </b></p><p> </p><p>“How the hell are you still working? Or <em> alive? </em>” He finally looked up at your incredulous tone with a glare, “Uh… Sir?”</p><p> </p><p>Zach put his work down on his desk with a venom-filled sigh, “Y’know, if you’re tired, just go home. I’ll have one of my zacbots escort you if you can’t make it on your own.”</p><p> </p><p>You blearily blinked in shock at the surprisingly nice offer, the idea of your nice, soft bed tempting you beyond all measure. But it didn’t distract you from the fact your boss was probably as tired as you were, if not more.</p><p> </p><p>“But… What about-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh hush, you don’t even have any work anyway, just go.”</p><p> </p><p>“What about <em> you </em>?” He stopped and glanced at you confused, which prompted you to keep going, “If I had a full nights sleep before all this and I’m falling over, I can’t imagine how you must feel, sir.”</p><p> </p><p>He stared at you with a befuddled expression, “I- Didn’t I already say I wasn’t-”, you jumped when he angrily slapped the desk, “-<em> Why the hell does it matter to you? </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“I-I was just-”</p><p> </p><p>He scoffed and waved his hand, returning to his work with a disdainful look, “You really are sleep deprived. Go.”</p><p> </p><p>Even in your dazed state, your stubborn caring nature stayed true as you walked (stumbled, really) over to the desk, standing next to him demanding, “Lemme see what’s left.”</p><p> </p><p>He growled under his breath as you two engaged in a glare off, daring the other to speak. His green eyes held a dull fire, and you could almost hear the gears clicking in his brain at mach speeds as he thought of how to proceed from here.</p><p> </p><p>It was painfully clear that he didn’t have to deal with this kind of nonsense from the past secretaries. They probably never thought to care about his sleeping schedule, let alone him. You were certain you didn’t care about him, but you weren’t about to stand by and let him work himself into the grave if you could do something about it. You scrunched up your face at the thought and leaned closer, narrowing your eyes at him, waiting.</p><p> </p><p>After about a minute he let out an exasperated groan, throwing his hands up, “Alright! Alright, fine. I’ll finish this order, then take a nap. Will that get you off my back!?”</p><p> </p><p>“...For how long?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Now you’re pushing it. </em>”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>After ensuring that Zach finished his file and went up to his penthouse to sleep (“<em> You have a </em> <b> <em>penthouse</em> </b> <em> in the building!?.. That explains some, I guess.” </em>) You went down to the lower floors to find one of the numerous waiting chairs scattered through the halls and rooms.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> After finding a comfy looking couch, you happily collapsed, allowing sleep to come and drag you to the depths of unconsciousness.</p><p> </p><p>You had fitful dreams, most of which were just nonsense, some were quite pleasant. You only woke up after an intrusive memory wormed its way into your rest, reminding you exactly why you wouldn’t go home.</p><p> </p><p>Shooting up in a cold sweat, you rubbed your eyes and tried to fight the feeling of nausea weighing in your stomach as you glanced around, remembering exactly where you were. You were in Varmitech Industries Tower, not home.</p><p> </p><p>Taking a deep sigh of relief, you flopped back down and nuzzled into your pill- Pillow? You didn’t have a pillow? Or a blanket? </p><p> </p><p>Gaping at the sheet bunched up in your hand, you tried to figure out who could’ve given them to you. You knew for a fact Zach wouldn’t have, as he hated everything about you. The idea of a board member having a pillow and blanket just on hand was ridiculous enough without throwing in giving them to a random employee. So then who-?</p><p> </p><p>“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty! We have a big day ahead of us!”</p><p> </p><p>You jumped away from the gleeful voice that came out of nowhere, falling off the couch in a tangle of limbs and sheets. Zach was leaning over you with a joyous glint in his eyes as he gave a big grin at your surprised face.</p><p> </p><p>“I- Huh? H-How long was I asleep for?”</p><p> </p><p>“You slept for about ten hours. I didn’t care enough to wake you, so I let you be. But I was going to wake you up <em> now </em> because-” He did happy little jazz hands as you stood, eyeing him warily and wondering what the hell happened to the grump you called your boss, “-You’re coming out into the field with me! <em> Hooray, </em>right!?”</p><p> </p><p>“Th-The field?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! Every now and then, I take little… ‘expeditions’ for inspiration and whatnot, just a break from the tower, y’know? And since you’re my secretary, you’ll get to come with me!”</p><p> </p><p>You blinked at him, wondering if you were still dreaming. Eventually you shook your head, a bad feeling about all of this rising, “And how long, may I ask, do these ‘ex-po-sitions’ last?”</p><p> </p><p>He dismissed your question with a wave as he turned and half-skipped down the hall, “Oh, the longest was about three months.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Three months!? </em> ” You raced after him, skidding in front of him with a panicked look, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What about my apartment and neighbors!? I-I-I can’t just disappear for <em> three months! </em>  T-There’s so much that-”</p><p> </p><p>You stopped at the calm smile on his face. He looked completely unaffected by your concerns. In fact, it looked like that’s what he was <em> counting </em> on. He clasped his hands together as his smile turned downright evil, “Well, field work with me was part of your application! ‘Travel and adaptability’, <em> remember? </em> If leaving is such a big deal, then you could always, y’know. <b> <em>Quit.</em> </b>”</p><p> </p><p>The smile dropped as he glared at your horrified expression.</p><p> </p><p><em> There </em>was the reason for your bad feeling. He knew you’d be reluctant to drop everything to go who-knew-where with him and was hoping you’d be intimidated into quitting. You felt in your soul the desire to punch this ass in the face grow almost uncontrollable.</p><p> </p><p>Yes, you did remember the ‘Travel and Adaptability’ bit. You didn’t think much of it at the time, but now you wondered if you should have done more research on what on earth that could mean. You also remembered that under the bit, it said that housing expenses would be taken care of in your absence, which was probably why you didn’t care at the time.</p><p> </p><p>With this fact in mind, you calmed down enough to sigh and rub at your face tiredly.</p><p> </p><p>“...No, I am not going to quit. You just caught me by surprise is all. Yeah, sure. Ex-po-sitions. When do we leave?”</p><p> </p><p>He looked genuinely disappointed, like he was just told he couldn’t have a stuffed toy he really wanted. His usual scowl came back as he hissed, “We leave tomorrow. Make sure you have everything you need packed, ‘cause we’re not making any pit stops.”</p><p>He pushed past you, mumbling angrily under his breath, probably at how difficult it was to get rid of you. Well too bad for him, you weren’t about to let him win that easily.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, you looked back at the pillow and blanket, which were being retrieved by a zacbot. You briefly recalled him offering to have one escort you home and wondered if he was... <em> maybe </em>… growing a tad fond of you. It would explain his desire to get rid of you so badly, but it also brought up another, quite sad, possibility. </p><p> </p><p>Maybe he was just lonely and didn’t know how to open up. So he pushed everyone else away so he didn’t have to learn how to.</p><p> </p><p>With this thought in mind, you sighed again, and went to go clock out so you could go home and pack.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. You're Welcome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chappy three~</p>
<p>I'm so happy people enjoy this work, I'm having a ton of fun writing it!</p>
<p>Y'all awesome ( ◕◡◕)っ ♡</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A part of you was beginning to wish you never took this job. You didn’t like flying. You <em> hated </em>flying. The reason?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When you were still little, your granddad had taken you on an airplane to check up on an old horse you fondly named Bucky he had sold years before. During the flight back, the airplane just... dropped out of the air. For about five seconds, you turned into a nine year old Michael Jackson before the plane righted itself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You hadn’t stepped foot on a plane since, not even to see Bucky. Until-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Stop looking so nervous. It’s distracting.” Zach was swiveling around the control room of his jet looking at a tablet and hitting buttons every now and then. Whether they actually did anything or not, you did not know.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked up from your curled position, trying to sift through your internal panic to formulate into words how his constant motion was distracting in itself, but a wave of nausea forced your head back between your knees with a groan. Hearing the chair stop right in front of you, you looked up again to see Zach sitting cross-legged and resting his head on his hand, staring down at you with something akin to but not quite pity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Would you like some ginger ale?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You nodded wearily as he sighed and uncrossed his legs, pushing back and rolling to the control panel where he pushed a bright red button. Moments later, a Zacbot whirred in with a can of ginger ale. With a heartfelt “Thank you,” to the robot, you happily opened it and took a grateful sip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Why do you do that?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You glanced at Zach, who was looking at you with narrowed eyes, “Why do I do what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thank them. You’ve been doing it every time they do something for you. You know they can’t feel, right? I took countless precautions to make sure they aren’t sentient. Besides,” He straightened up with a glare, “<em> I </em> was the one who ordered the ale. You’re welcome.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He turned around with a huff as you sat in silence looking at the robot out of the corner of your eye, understanding why he would be a bit insulted.</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>“...Thank you, sir.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He tensed up and slowly half-turned to you with suspicion and surprise before shaking his head and turning back with a soft mumbled, “...You’re welcome.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After a while, you felt better. Well enough to push yourself up and stumble over to Zach, who was too absorbed in his work to notice you leaning over his shoulder. You saw he was working on a complex looking code and briefly wondered what it was for.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A high pitched beeping startled you. Zach, finally looking up, smiled as he hit a switch that stopped the annoying sound, swiveling around and stretching his arms over his head with a happy sound.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’re almost at our destination. About time, too. Was getting a little bored.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You raised an eyebrow at him as he hopped up and strode towards the door. Following him out to the main area of the huge jet, you realized you didn’t even know where your destination was. Mentally smacking yourself for being so incompetent, you tried to correct the error.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, uh, sir? Where is our destination?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He slowed down a little and gave you a curious look, “I didn’t tell you? We’re in Brazil.” He looked away with a soft hum before saying more to himself than you, “I really need to start communicating more…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn’t really pay attention to that part, as to the fact it felt like you <em> just left New York </em> . How did you get to <em> South America </em> so <em> fast? </em>Unless you completely lost track of time during your panic, which was probably what happened. Catching your shocked expression, Zach rolled his eyes with a scoff before explaining, “This jet was designed for speed and efficiency. For a regular aircraft, it takes ten to twelve hours to get from New York to Brazil, and that’s excluding stops. For us, it took about five hours.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked at him surprised and genuinely interested, “Really? Who designed this thing?”</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>He grinned as he stopped in front of you, pointing both of his thumbs at himself in a quite cheesy manner that almost made you crack a smile, “This guy!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next moment with a loud “Oof!”, you found yourself on the ground paired with a rattling boom as the jet landed. Huh. That’s why people stayed in their seats when planes landed…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were vaguely aware of Zach laughing as you stood back up, steadying yourself on a nearby crate as you readjusted to gravity. You coughed into your hand, embarrassment filling you at the fact the Zach was unaffected by the jostling. Quieting his laughter to near inaudible snickers, he examined you with an amused look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hehe.. Don’t worry, you get used to it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As he turned still giggling, you took comfort in the fact that he too once had to deal with falling over. Then you realized he actually <em> laughed </em>, no malice to be found. It was quite different from the mad cackling you’d hear off in the distance in the tower, and you found it was… Nice. Of course you didn’t say this. It would probably spoil the good mood he was currently in. So taking a deep breath, you shakily walked over to the jet door, which was slowly opening.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You raised your hand over your eyes with a sharp hiss at the sudden brightness and <em> green </em> that filled your vision. Then you let out a soft, “<em>Wow </em>…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You never thought you’d leave America, let alone go to the <em> rainforest </em>, yet here you were. Staring around the rather large clearing, you took in the unique, beautiful shapes of the trees and flora. You glanced at Zach expecting the same amount of awe, but you were surprised to find he looked decidedly unimpressed. Disgusted even…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> Zacbots! </em>” Whirring filled your ears as about ten zacbots filed up beside you, and you were once again impressed by how orderly they were. Zach got that twisted smile again as he pointed out into the thickets, “Go find something interesting for me to use.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nine of them beeped twice, zipping off and disappearing alarmingly fast. You looked through the trees, trying to trace the paths they took as Zach turned and walked back into the jet accompanied by the remaining zacbot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You stayed, though, taking a seat on the ramp and gazing out towards the jungle with curiosity. Eventually, you began hearing birds and bugs, noticing it was completely silent before. The jet must’ve scared them…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach came back out after thirty minutes with a bored look, plopping himself beside you glaring out at the trees with contempt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...What are you even looking at?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You shrugged, softly smiling, “Just taking in the view. I’ve never seen nothin’ like this, so I’m just… looking.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was silent a moment before humming dismissively, “You’ll be seeing a lot more like this. I travel the world daily, and it gets boring eventually.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked at him confused, “<em> Boring? </em> Does it really?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He nodded, pulling his legs closer and leaning back with indifference in his green eyes, glazing over the trees like he already knew every detail to them. The look of a man who really <em> had </em> seen everything. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And you felt awful for him…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His eyes flicked down and suddenly pure horror filled them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah.. Ah <em> ah ah </em> <b> <em>ah!!</em> </b>” he scrambled back, grabbing your shirt and trying to pull you back with him. Concerned as to what could make him react in such a way, you looked where he was looking. There, crawling up the ramp…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You felt sick, staring at the foot long bug writhing toward you two. You dimly recalled from an old cartoon about <em> what </em> it was, but it did nothing to prepare you for the <em> nightmare </em>in front of you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Letting out a loud, “<em> YeEEeE </em>!” you scrambled up and scooped the surprisingly light man up in your arms, racing back into the jet, both screaming.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Catching sight of one of his work desks, you hopped up, an incredible feat with the flailing man in your arms, and held your breath looking back at the door. Wiggling its way up, it poked its ugly little antenna over onto the floor, which caused Zach to scream out an insulted, <em> “Ack! That little </em> monster <em> is boarding! W-Where’s my zacbot!? Zacbot!” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>To your relief, the familiar beeps and whirrs zoomed past you to apprehend the giant offending bug. Holding the wriggling mass in its claw hand, it looked toward you awaiting its next order.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> Get rid of it!” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Beeping, it whirred out the door a way off, tossing it into the thicket before returning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You felt Zach shudder, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. Slowly, you lowered him so he could sit on the edge. Taking a deep breath yourself, you collapsed next to him, shuddering and shaking your arms to attempt to stop the jitters the thing gave you. Trying to make light of the situation, you joked, "So... was... that boring?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What. The hell. Was that.”</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach did not look happy. In fact, he looked like he was about to scream again, more out of frustration than fear. Running your fingers through your hair, you racked your mind to give an ample answer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh… I believe it was a centipede.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He slowly turned to you with a blank look and deadpanned, “A centipede.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Y-Yeah. A big one.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh really, a big-” He smacked his forehead and growled, “A <em> big one </em>. Thank you, Captain fucking Obvious.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You gave a shaky chuckle at his sarcasm, leaning back on the desk. You felt his glare on you, so you turned your attention back to him with an inquiring look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...You picked me up.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> “And you tried to drag me up the ramp,” you gave him a gentle smile before he could retort, “Thanks.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He opened and shut his mouth, looking for <em> something </em>mean to say. Yet he couldn’t. He huffed as he crossed his arms, looking away with a pout.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah…” He raised his hand and flicked your forehead, causing you to yelp and cover the now irritated area, “Just warn me next time, yeah? I don’t like people touching me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stood up and headed back to the control room, leaving you with this new bit of info. You pursed your lips at the idea of accidently making him uncomfortable, but a smile formed when you considered ‘Next time’. Maybe he <em> was </em>growing fond of you...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” You whispered after him, certain he couldn’t hear you at this point.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You decided that if there <em> was </em> a next time, it would have to be an absolute emergency with a direct warning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Getting up, you prepared to follow him, smiling to yourself as you considered your strange boss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>----------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Dinner in a restaurant? In the Brazilian rainforest?" You stared at him from the work desk you sat at, wondering if your boss finally went batty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach rolled his eyes at your incredulous expression, "Yes. It's more of a mobile restaurant, but-"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What, like a taco truck?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"<em>No</em>, not like a <em>taco truck.</em> It's <em>nothing </em>like a-" He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, "Okay. Starting over. An acquaintance of mine invited us to dinner, in his <em>mobile </em><em>restaurant</em>, and you are <em>not </em>going to call it a 'taco truck' unless you want to be thrown out."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Slowly, you raised an eyebrow at him, still not grasping how there could be a <em>restaurant </em>this deep in the rainforest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Alrighty, fine. <em>'Mobile Restaurant'</em> -" You made quotation marks hoping to enforce how ridiculous it sounded, "-That <em>totally</em> isn't like a taco truck. How in Sam's Hill would that even work? We're in a <em>rainforest.</em>"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"He travels on daily basis, same as me. He has an all terrain vehicle and a jet, too, so he can go really anywhere."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That made much more sense. You hummed in consideration, "And you've eaten with him before?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh yeah, plenty of times. It'll be fine."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You nodded, comforted by the fact that Zach was familiar with this man. Zach, happy to be done with your questions, sat next to you with a tired sigh. You tilted your head at him, raising a hand in concern like you were going to put in on his shoulder. He glanced up and waved your away with a knowing look, "Just tired. Sleeping habits always get messed up when I travel."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nodding again, you returned to the doodle you were working on, not minding Zach watching you. You always watched him work, and since you didn't have any work you had to pass time somehow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"...So when is dinner?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"A couple hours from now."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hmm. We the only ones?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hesitated, "...Actually, no."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You stopped and looked up again, waiting for him to continue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"There'll be two more people there, Donita and Dabio. The one cooking for us is Gourmand and- What? What's with that look? What's so funny?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Trying to quiet your chuckling, you explain, "Those, uh... are some pretty unique names."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He did not look impressed with your humor, "Yeah? Well, they won't find it as funny, so <em>behave.</em>"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You raised your hands in surrender still snickering. He scoffed and rolled his eyes again, returning his attention to your doodle as you continued, sitting in companionable silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Not A Taco Truck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chappy fouR!</p>
<p>I had to rewatch 'Platypus Cafe' for this one, and I forgot just how much of a burning passion I hate Gourmand with. I'm sorry, I just find him insufferable, I don't know why. No sir-ee. Do not like him.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Donita would be the cool aunt and one hell of a wingwoman and no one can ever convince me otherwise. I, too, love the evil lesbian fashion icon. (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You tore through your neatly folded clothes as you searched for your most prized possession, certain you had packed it before you left. Zach had said that it would be best to bring something along since the cooking took a while and you had the perfect time passer. If only you could find it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A thought struck you as you pulled a rather nice shirt from the bag, wondering if you should change into something nicer before dinner.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t need to wear anything fancy, do I?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach called from a different area of the jet, “No, it’s casual.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sifting through your bags, you finally found your beloved Ds Lite that you had packed in case you got extremely bored. Hugging the precious item to your chest as you checked your cartridges, you walked out of the holding area to see Zach fervently searching one of his work desks.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Whatcha looking for?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach sighed in defeat as he stood up, scratching the back of his neck as he glared at one of the walls, “Just… looking for my gameboy. I usually take it with me when I go to Gourmand’s in case the conversations got stale, but it appears I either misplaced it or left it at home.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You cringed for him, understanding that feeling all too well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Want me to help you look for it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked at you skeptically before nodding, “If it isn’t too much trouble. Helping look for video games isn’t exactly in your job description.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/>“No…” You agreed as you walked over to the desk he was looking in and opened the bottom most drawer, grinning when you caught sight of the rather well-kept gameboy, “But I <em> am </em>supposed to help you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wha- Okay. That was just dumb luck,” He seethed as he snatched it up, trying to ignore your giggles as he stuffed it into one of his pockets, “Did you get your entertainment?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You proudly held up your electric blue ds, basking in the appraising look he gave you, “Huh. Guess we both like old school.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hell yeah. Nostalgia all the way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He chuckled at that as you carefully stowed your possession away, finally ready to go. Calling for his zacbot, you both walked out of the jet, then you stopped. You realized you were about to just walk out into the jungle, and a small primal part of you recognized how stupid that was considering the hundred legged <em> abomination </em>you encountered earlier that day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach noticed your hesitance and reassured you, “He’s not that far off. Besides, we have nine zacbots patrolling the area plus the one here,” He rapped his knuckles on the metal as the robot seemingly beeped in agreement, “You’ll be fine.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The more rational side to you mulled over these facts, and came to the conclusion you would be fine. Zach had done this <em> plenty </em> of times from the sound of it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Slowly, you stepped off the ramp onto the soft ground, repeating in your head that you’d be just fine. Zach gave a reassuring nod and ordered the zacbot ahead, and you watched fascinated as its claw hands retracted and blades took their place, beginning to cut a path for you both. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Trying to take a calming breath, you followed him into the jungle. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as you thought it was. No bugs jumped out and attacked you. You weren’t snatched up by a carnivorous whatever only found in the jungle never to be seen again. Even quicksand, which seemed to be a <em> huge </em> problem in cartoons and tv shows, didn’t make an appearance. You were almost disappointed. <em> Almost. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’re here. See? Nothing bad happened.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You caught up to Zach, who pointed at, what you would grudgingly admit, was not like a taco truck. It was actually quite quaint in a strange way, with the fairy lights and cloth overhead, steadied over a river like a pier.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Alrighty. I’ll admit this exceeded my expectations.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach dropped his arm and curiously looked at you, “And what were your expectations?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...A taco truck…” You muttered sheepishly. He shook his head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ugh, you’re ridiculous. Just come on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You fought a smile hearing the repressed affection in his tone, following him to the stairs leading to the patio-like structure.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Service!~” Zach practically sang as you stood by him, examining the area with growing admiration at how nice everything was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, Mr. Varmitech! Welcome back! Take a seat and I’ll- Wait a hot sec. Who is that?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You snapped your attention to a stout man behind a counter who was obviously the chef, Gormaund. The chef attire and cooking utensils were proof enough of that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stepping a little behind Zach, you examined this new person carefully as he introduced you, “This is my secretary. They’ll be traveling with me a lot, so get used to seeing them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gormaund hummed suspiciously, eyeing you with the same amount of distrust as you were him. You decided you did not like the scrutinizing pine green of his eyes, drastically different from Zach’s jade ones.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Fine. Take a seat and I’ll get the menus.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Releasing the breath you didn’t know you were holding, you followed Zach to a table set for two, reluctantly taking a seat across from him. You were growing increasingly unsure of Gourmand’s trustworthiness, no matter how much Zach seemed to trust him. There was something seriously wrong here… you just didn’t know what.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You jumped when Zach snapped his fingers under your nose, a slightly concerned look on his face, “Hey, you okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You glanced past his shoulder, watching Gourmand rummage under the counter, “Just uneasy…” You looked back at him with a wary smile, “I’m fine.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He nodded, understanding in his eyes, “Yeah, I was a little iffy around him before, too. Don’t worry, he’ll warm up to you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You two shared a quick smile before Zach pulled out his gameboy, the familiar jingle prompting you to pull your ds out. You felt much better with the device in your hand, opening your favorite game with a sense of comfort filling you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, at least they share your sense of tech,” You glance up to see the chef place two menus in front of you with a sneer, “Drinks?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Zach didn’t look up from his game, “Water for me, thanks.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Same here,” you decided not to give the chef anymore attention unless necessary, seeing as he was, in fact, not warming up to you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He nodded, heading back to the counter to get the order. Zach suddenly looked like a thought struck him, eyes narrowing as he turned leaning on the chair</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You wouldn’t know when Donita’s arriving, would you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gourmand hummed, placing two ice filled glasses on the counter with a thoughtful look, “No, but you know her. She loves to make an entrance.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As if on cue, you heard the sound of an aircraft nearby. Looking up, you caught a bright pink jet flying over you. You almost did a double take, never seeing a <em> pink </em> jet before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Donita has… A pink jet..?” You asked the question slowly. Zach hummed in affirmation, watching the jet slowly disappear under the canopy a good ways off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“She loves pink.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You liked the color pink, but you weren’t sure if you would ride around in a pink jet. It seemed just a little comical.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shaking your head to distract yourself, you put your game down and picked up the menu. A quick look over and you found the source of the bad feeling. Nearly all of the items were animals you never even heard of, and the ones you did recognize made you slightly nauseated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Exotic birds, fish, quite a few you recognized as endangered </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Holy </em> <b> <em>fucking </em> </b> <em> shit. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Never mind, it made you really sick.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quickly placing the menu down with an audible gulp and a cautious glance at Zach, you stammered out, “U-Um, on second thought sir, I-I’m not hungry…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You could physically see Zach shutting away from you, snapping his head to you with a hurt glare like he knew exactly what you were thinking. You could sense whatever progress you had with him about to shatter in an instant if you didn't proceed with utmost caution, and you couldn’t stop the horrible feeling that filled you at the idea of him disliking you again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s...not what I meant…” You reached out for him, and was greatly relieved when he didn’t pull away from your touch, “I just… I’m not really comfortable eating endangered species.. It’s not you, I swear.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You almost sighed in relief when his expression softened, his understanding clear but betrayal evident.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever,” He mumbled under his breath as you pulled away, electing to focus on the water Gourmand decided to <em> finally </em>bring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Have you two decided on your orders yet?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“They’re not hungry. I’ll take.. just whatever.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gourmand looked between you two with a raised eyebrow as you nervously took a gulp of water, shrugging as he went away again. Zach kept glaring at his glass.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You felt the need to say something else, but before you could you heard heels stomping up the stairs as a woman’s voice behind you seethed, “<em> I swear, every time I come to the jungle, bugs never leave me alone. </em>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twisting around, your jaw dropped at the modelesque woman behind you. She was obviously Donita, and you suddenly felt no need to question her pink jet. Anyone who could pull off that outfit and look that good had every right to ride as they pleased.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her topaz eyes locked with yours, and you suddenly felt <em> extremely </em> underwhelming. For a moment, though, you caught jealousy in <em> her </em>eyes when she saw Zach with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And just who are you?” she put her hands on her hips with a demanding glare as a burly blond followed her, a dopey grin forming when he saw you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, look Donita! Zach brought a friend!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At ‘friend’ you heard Zach begin coughing violently, nearly slamming his glass down as he pounded his chest with his fist. It snapped you out of your awestruck stupor, and you hurriedly rushed out, “I’m no one special. J-Just his secretary. I’m… just here…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> Secretary? </em> ” She sounded scandalized as she shifted her attention to Zach, “I thought you said you didn’t <em> like </em> working with others!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was silent for a moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...My board hired them. I don’t mind them as much, since they’ve probably been the most patient with me compared to the others.” You felt your fears of Zach disliking you again melt away completely when you heard the faint tone of affection he had earlier.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She returned her gaze to you with a new look, admiration perhaps?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re telling me there’s someone who can actually tolerate you? Impressive. How long have they worked with you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Longer than a couple weeks now.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hah!” Gourmand chortled from the counter, “That’s probably a record!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zach pouted at the tease, hunching over his glass as he grasped it, “Not my fault people are obnoxious.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, of course not,” Donita sassed as she strutted to a table, sitting in a position in which she could talk to both of you as the male, you assumed Dabio, followed her like a puppy. He reminded you of the golden retrievers that some of your old hometown neighbors had, and you found that oddly endearing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So… Miss Donita…” You ventured carefully so you wouldn’t accidentally offend her, so far she seemed more intrigued with you than insulted now, “May I ask what you do?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She smirked proudly as she dramatically waved her hand, “Why, I’m a renowned fashion designer, darling. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of me!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You smiled sheepishly at her rubbing at the back of your neck, “Well.. Uh, I’m from a small town. I never heard of anyone, really. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, though, Miss.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looked genuinely surprised before turning appreciative, “Polite, aren’t they? Very well then, since you haven’t heard of me, I suppose I’ll have to make an impression won’t I? Dabio!”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>The man next to her immediately perked up, “Yes, Donita?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Be a dear and grab my sketchbook from the jet, I have a few designs I think they’ll like.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He straightened up with a smile and another, “Yes, Donita!” before rushing off to do as she asked.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Zach rolled his eyes with a near inaudible, “Oh boy, here we go,” as he looked out toward the river.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Donita didn’t seem to hear him as she folded her hands together, examining you carefully, “You said you were from a small town? Do elaborate.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn’t expect that question. Taking a drink of water, you considered what and how much to tell her. Slowly, you began, “Well, Miss, I was born in a small town in Kentucky. I was raised on my grandparents' horse ranch, and as much as I enjoyed it I wanted to do something more. So, I went to college, got my degrees, and headed to New York as soon as I got my job application for Varmitech industries. And…” You gestured around with a smile, “It obviously was more than I bargained for, but somehow… I feel like…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You wouldn’t be anywhere else?” Donita finished for you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You nodded your head, resting your head on your hands, feeling relaxed talking to her. It wasn’t as tedious as you thought it would be, and she seemed to find your answer satisfactory. Unbeknownst to you, Zach was watching out of the corner of his eye with newfound respect in your determination and more than humble beginnings. Not that he’d ever admit it, of course.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“Here, Donita!” Dabio skidded to a stop next to her, presenting a beautiful sketchbook that she took. Making a ‘come hither’ motion at you, she began to flip through the pages.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Glancing at Zach, who nodded and made a motion to go ahead, you stood up and carefully approached her. Once you were by her side, you looked at the page she had stopped on. You tilted your head curiously at the earrings you saw sketched. They were pretty, but they looked more <em> alive </em>than anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s beautiful, but what are they?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Donita sighed wistfully, sadness filling her voice, “Draco Lizard Earrings, darling. They were going to be the debut to one of my previous fashion lines, but alas-” She dramatically threw an arm over her face as she draped herself over the chair like a damsel in distress, “-before they could release, a certain pair of self-proclaimed <em> heroes </em> attacked and released them all.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn’t understand what she meant by that, but looking at the earrings you couldn’t help but feel bad you’d never get to see them. It certainly seemed like a unique idea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, that sounds terrible.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She waved away your apology with a pout and a sigh, “No need to be sorry, darling. It wouldn’t be the first time. Or the last.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She sounded bitter at the last part, and you felt even worse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hoping to revive her spirits, you asked, “Could I see more? Your art style is really nice…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hummed as she held out the sketchbook, “Be my guest, dear. It’s rare that I find someone who isn’t patronizing of my designs.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You took it and placed it on the table so you could both look over it, wondering who on earth would patronize such creativity. You had a sneaking suspicion you knew why, but it was certainly better than killing and eating endangered animals.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gourmand stopped by the table with a fruity looking drink, “The usual, Miss Donata.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She absently took it as she watched you flip through the pages, “Thank you, Gaston.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You didn’t ask about the name. You didn’t like ‘Gaston’, but you enjoyed Donita’s company. Zach’s company you've certainly begun to enjoy. You weren’t sure about Dabio, who was watching the bugs fly around the lights with a happy look, but it was clear he was simple, and you could appreciate simple.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After a while of looking through the book and asking questions, Donita let out a thoughtful hum, “You know, dear, if you enjoy these designs, I’m hosting a show in Rio in about a week or so. If you wanted, you could come and see exclusive designs by yours truly.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Flattered by the kind offer, you stammered, “I-I would enjoy that! But what about Zach?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She smirked, peering around you at your boss. You looked over your shoulder to see he had gotten his food at some point judging from the plate on the table, and was currently playing his gameboy on a much lower volume than before. He seemed completely zoned out, eyes half-lidded and glued to his screen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Zach!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I need you and your zacbots for security for my fashion show in Rio about a week from now. Think you’re up for it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“M’kay.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>For a moment, he paused like he was rebooting. The faint sound of a game over jingle played as he returned to reality, blinking a few times as he looked over, brows knit in confusion.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wait, what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked so lost that you had to cover your mouth to hide the grin that split across your face. Donita rolled her eyes before pointing at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You and your zacbots. Fashion show in Rio. Next week. You already said okay.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I- Okay?” His eyes flicked between you two, “Did I miss something?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She gave him a pointed look, “Yes. Your attention.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You broke out in giggles, unable to stop your amusement at the look on his face. He quickly donned indifference, rolling his eyes, “Fine. Fashion show. Got it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Donita clapped her hands together happily and sang, “Thank you, Zach!~”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> ThAnK yOu ZaCh. </em>” He mimicked back, clearly unamused. Yet it was enough to make you double over, your laughter growing more audible. He finally realized you were finding amusement in this and looked appalled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought you were on <em> my </em> side!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Straightening up, you tried to force your face to stay neutral, “I’m sorry si-” you couldn’t keep a straight face, bursting into another fit of giggles as Donita joined you, “I’m sorry, sir, I’ll- I’ll stop, just give me a second…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighed, watching you and Donita giggle away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...He didn’t mind you laughing at him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. First Name Basis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chappy fivE</p><p>This chapter may be short, but is so fluff filled it felt like I was giving myself cavities writing it. ( ╯ಠ‿ಠ)╯︵┻━┻</p><p>Enjoy Zach being an angry soft boy and Donita being a sweet evil auntie figure.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>*Little warning, there is a little use of alcohol later in the chapter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Nothing too crazy, just a glass.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Cause, you know. Southern style.*</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The view of Rio De Janeiro was almost surreal, the enormous statue you had only heard of before today a ways off, watching over the seaside city with its arms outstretched.</p><p> </p><p> Donita’s fashion show was taking place on a remote mountain near, but not quite in sight of the city, providing the people on top with a wonderful view yet leaving the city inhabitants unaware of the festivities going on.</p><p> </p><p>You rested on the railing of the huge platform the stage and runway were on, head in your hand as you watched the day pass slowly, eyes glued to the ocean as the faint scent of the sea was blown to you on gentle breezes.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Zap! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Ow! Fuck! Grr… </em> <b> <em>Dabio</em></b><em>... </em>”</p><p> </p><p>Looking back at your boss, who was working on the wires and muttering angrily to himself, you couldn’t help but feel a little protective of the big dope.</p><p> </p><p>“What did Dabio do?”</p><p> </p><p>He blew a stray piece of hair out of his face as he readjusted his rolled up sleeves, giving you a glare.</p><p> </p><p>“Donita doesn’t always have me around, so when it comes to tech and stage lights she usually has Dabio do it-”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Zap! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Fucking ow! </em> ” He growled again as he shook his hand, rage burning in his eyes like christmas lights, “ <em> Unfortunately, </em> he’s a bumbling <em> idiot who </em> <b> <em>breaks everything he FUCKING touches!</em> </b>”</p><p> </p><p>You flinched as he shouted, sighing for poor Dabio who was most likely trying his best. Walking over, you kneeled next to him to see what the problem was.</p><p> </p><p>Wires were squished together in an incomprehensible mess, stuck every which way and obviously not where they were supposed to be. Even you could see that it was quite a mess and problem. Trying to think of a solution for your boss, your eyes drifted to a series of switches. Slowly, you lifted a hand and hovered over each one, trying to determine which one was the one you were looking for.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing? Don’t tou-”</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you just flip the breaker so you can work?”</p><p> </p><p>You stopped over one you hoped was the correct one. Zach gave you the most deadpanned look you’ve ever seen from him before he gently pushed your hand two switches right.</p><p> </p><p>“Donita and Dabio are setting up the stage lights, and they can’t tell if they <em> work </em>if the powers off.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” You made a face when you saw his slightly burned fingertips, gently gripping his thin wrist to examine the damage. Zach calmed down a bit, pouting at the state of his hands as you carefully rubbed soot off his index and rubbing it between yours.</p><p> </p><p>“...It hurts, but it’ll wash right off. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to work with power on and it certainly won’t be the last.”</p><p> </p><p>You sighed at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to go ask Donita to put off the lights until you're done. I don’t want you accidentally electrocuting yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>He sniffed dismissively at your concern, watching you get up and walk around the stage out of view. He returned his attention to the wires, but hesitated and glanced back at the corner. Dropping his gaze to where you held his wrist, he examined his hand, confused at the warmth that filled him.</p><p> </p><p>…No one’s ever touched him in such a soft manner before…</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Miss Donita?” You called as you finally reached the front of the runway, eyes searching the stage for the fashionista. She saw you before you saw her.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hello, dear! Did Zachary get the wires yet?”</p><p> </p><p>You caught sight of her looking back at her nails and climbed onto the runway, examining the huge ladder Dabio was balancing on with zacbots hovering around him as he hooked up a huge spotlight.</p><p> </p><p>“I was actually going to ask a favor…”</p><p> </p><p>She looked up with curiosity as you reached her. </p><p> </p><p>“Zach’s getting zapped left and right… I was wondering if you could put off the lights so he could turn off the-”</p><p> </p><p>“Got it, Donita!”</p><p> </p><p>The bright yellow light that clanged on made you raise your arm over your eyes from the assaulting bright.</p><p> </p><p>It would have been impressive, if the sound of a loud <em> pop! </em> from the area you came from didn’t cause you to sharply inhale in fear for your boss, but you quickly breathed a sigh of relief when you heard the familiar scream of, “ <b> <em>DABIO!!</em> </b>” a literal second later.</p><p> </p><p>The poor man looked terrified, mumbling a soft ‘Oops’ as he slid down the ladder and the zacbots whirred off to check on their master. Donita cringed and gave you an apologetic look.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Um… Sorry darling, it seems you were a snap too late…”</p><p> </p><p>You chuckled, gesturing to the path you just came from, already hearing the steam-whistles as you pictured your boss stomping his way toward the front.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, Miss. Dabio should probably hide though…”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded, grinning mischievously as she turned to her henchman, “Dabio, why don’t you get some snacks and take a break? You earned it.”</p><p> </p><p>He immediately lit up with a joyful gasp, racing backstage out of sight just as Zach turned the corner, softly hissing something.</p><p> </p><p>You looked at him and had to immediately turn back to hide the low terrified chuckle that escaped you. Donita laughed outright, though, wrapping an arm around herself as she brought her hand to her face.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my- Zach, dear! Your <em> hair, </em>what happened!?”</p><p> </p><p>Zach snarled as he ran his fingers through his electrified hair, his soot covered face twisting in absolute rage. His pale arms were covered in the gunk, too, and you knew if his sweater wasn’t already black it certainly would’ve been now.</p><p> </p><p>“You know damn well what happened! And you!”</p><p> </p><p>You slowly turned to him, covering your grin and begging him with your eyes not to yell at you.</p><p> </p><p>He looked like he wanted to, pointing at you and starting a sentence, before discarding it and trying again. Eventually he gave up with an exasperated wave, scoffing and storming back to where his jet was.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to clean up. Wires are done and for God’s sake <em> and </em>mine, stop having Dabio do the damn wires!”</p><p> </p><p>Donita, still smiling, drawled out a sarcastic, “Oookay.”</p><p> </p><p>You leaned over and let out a soft wheeze, replaying the image of your disgruntled soot covered boss in your mind. She watched you a moment before tapping your shoulder.</p><p>
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</p><p>“Hey, come backstage a moment. I have something for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Surprised, you looked over to Donita’s retreating form and quickly followed.</p><p> </p><p>Backstage was neat and organized, racks of clothes lined in a way you assumed only a fashion guru like Donita could understand. Dabio was sitting at one of the vanities happily munching on oranges with a juice box, lighting up with a small wave when you entered. The fashionista walked over to one of the racks and began sifting through the clothes.</p><p> </p><p>“Now, let’s see… Where did I put-”</p><p> </p><p>“Second rack, Donita!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, yes, thank you, Dabio.. Here we go!” She pulled out a grey blazer, presenting it to you with a proud smile. The most noticeable bit was the Varmitech logo stitched over the left breast.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh it’s… It’s <em> wonderful… </em>” You carefully took it, marveling at how soft it was. It was, surprisingly, your size, but you didn’t dare question how she managed to tailor it to you perfectly.</p><p> </p><p>Slipping it on, you walked over to one of the many mirrors examining yourself, standing up straight and turning ever so slightly. It fit like a glove, and gave you the impression it was made for professionalism. You tried to imagine Zach standing next to you, picturing the fierce ceo with his ever patient secretary. Feeling a flutter of pride and a faint sense of vanity, you turned to Donita with a sincere smile.</p><p> </p><p>“You like it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! It's… Thank you so much.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded with a self-satisfied smile, “I noticed you didn’t exactly have a uniform, and since I’m a stickler for such details I decided to make one for you. I’m glad you like it, dear. I’m sure Zach will as well.”</p><p> </p><p>You returned your gaze to the mirror, smiling as you thought of what Zach would say about it. There was only one way to find out.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it… okay if I go show him?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, dear!” Donita returned to one of the racks, picking through the clothes with distaste beginning to grace her features, “I still have to decide on the dresses for the models, get the makeup ready, fix the bar up…”</p><p> </p><p>You glanced at her, wondering if you should stay and help, before she waved her hand dismissively like she knew what you were thinking, “Go on, darling. Dabio and I have this covered.”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, you exited the area to the main stage, where you tried to resist the temptation to strut down the runway and do a little twirl. Chuckling at the idea, you hopped down to look for Zach, hoping he’d like the blazer as much as you did.</p><p> </p><p>Jogging towards where the jet was, you caught sight of zacbots unloading cargo with Zach, now clean, overseeing it all and barking orders. One zacbot caught sight of you and beeped, zipping over to you to examine the familiar logo. You smiled despite knowing it probably wasn’t sentient, puffing your chest out so it could see it better.</p><p> </p><p>“Pretty spiffy, huh? Feels like I’m really part of the team now!” You gushed to it, and although it probably didn’t understand, it still beeps in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s pretty spiffy? And did you just seriously say <em> spiffy? </em>” Your boss walked over with his usual scowl.</p><p> </p><p>You looked to Zach still smiling as you stood straight, happily presenting your new attire for him to see. He stopped short, jaw dropping a little when he caught sight of his logo. Something flashed in his eyes that you couldn’t quite recognize. Pride? Affection?</p><p> </p><p>Whatever it was, he quickly shook his head like he was trying to stop a thought, mumbling loud enough for you to hear, “It suits you. Did Donita make it for you?”</p><p> </p><p>Perking up, you gave a quick nod. He stared a moment longer before saying again, “...It suits you.”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced up at you before turning back to the cargo, “... I need your help with something. Come on.”</p><p> </p><p>Excitement rushed through you.</p><p> </p><p><em> He wanted your </em> <b> <em>help</em> </b> <em> with something. </em></p><p> </p><p>You were by his side in an instant, ready for whatever he needed. Walking back side by side, you didn’t notice the small smile he had as he glanced at you again.</p><p>
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</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After denying a drink from yet <em> another </em> fashion patron, you returned your gaze to the crowd of well dressed people milling around the area, laughing and cackling as loud Brazilian music blasted from speakers. Models strutted down the runway wearing beautiful outfits that almost made you envious, and the lights flashed spastically, painting everything with vibrant colors.</p><p> </p><p>Taking another sip from your whiskey, you scanned the packed area again, briefly wondering if you could slip somewhere a little more quiet. The zacbots that floated around the crowd providing drinks and snacks were constantly looking around, beeping to one another every now and then as they passed.</p><p> </p><p>The one next to you let out said beeps when one a bit away made the noise. You weren’t sure what it was for, but it still impressed you how coordinated they were.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, gorgeous,” You audibly groaned as you shifted your gaze to the Man™ who wanted your attention, “You, uh, kinda turned down my friend and-” he flashed you what he must’ve thought was a charming smile, “-I wanted to try to shoot my shot.”</p><p> </p><p>Your southern sass usually came out when you drank, so you snarked, “Yeah? Well, I ain’t interested. Yer friend ain’t the first guy I’ve turned down, and he ain’t the last,” You downed the rest of the burning liquid, your first finished glass of the night, and handed it to the zacbot for refilling, “Yer best bet is ta move on  and find some rich belle who’s probably <em> dyin’ </em> for yer shot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aw, come on! Don’t be like that! Besides,” he moved closer with a smug smile, and you scrunched your nose at the smell of cigarettes and axe body spray, “You should feel honored someone like me is even <em> talking </em> to-”</p><p> </p><p>You didn’t let him finish. Taking the refilled glass from your robotic companion, you turned and did your classic ‘<em> Throw the beverage at the bastard </em>’ move, grinning as he sputtered in shock.</p><p> </p><p>“Goodbye,” You sang sweetly as you handed him your empty glass and went to look for a quiet place away from all the people.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Reaching the edge of the platform, where it was surprisingly empty and a lot more quiet, you caught sight of Zach casually leaning on the rail with his back towards you.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly walking over, you joined him, leaning on the rail as you gazed at the city lights below you.</p><p> </p><p>“... Crowds aren’t your taste either?” Zach sounded tired and oddly subdued. You glanced at him and saw that he looked exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>“Not this one, no.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, me either..” He let out a heavy sigh, and you raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p> </p><p>“... Have you been staying up late again?”</p><p> </p><p>He chuckled, “No, I just can’t deal with big crowds. It’s… difficult for me.”</p><p> </p><p> You nodded in understanding, falling into a comfortable silence as you both looked over the jungle.</p><p> </p><p>“...So, we’re heading out tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>You hummed in acknowledgment.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you pack anything warm?”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, just in case, yeah. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re heading to the Arctic, so you’ll need whatever you have.”</p><p> </p><p>“The… Arctic?” You half turned to him curiously, “You’ve been to the Arctic?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mh-hm. Many times. You don’t get boat sick, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll be using my yacht to get around up there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your yacht,” you smiled and rolled your eyes, “Of course you have a yacht.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” he gave you a half-hearted glare.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothin’, sir.”</p><p> </p><p>His expression softened considerably as he looked back at the lights, “...Zach.”</p><p> </p><p>“I-” you gave him a confused look, “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just call me Zach.” He gave you a small smile, “...Please.”</p><p> </p><p>It was the first time you saw him sincerely smile at you. Slowly, you nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay… Zach.”</p><p> </p><p>His eyes lit up, and you felt fondness for this wonderful, strangely endearing ass of a man filling your chest. Your eyes locked for a moment, and whether it was the whiskey or something else, you couldn’t help but notice just how pretty his eyes were.</p><p> </p><p>He was the first to look away, coughing softly into his hand, “...So how was the show?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was nice. A lot of flirts who can’t take a hint, but Donita’s designs were worth it.”</p><p> </p><p>He looked at you strangely, opening his mouth to say something else before you heard people angrily talking further back towards the stage, steadily growing closer.</p><p> </p><p>“-find them I’m going to-”</p><p> </p><p>“-calm down, they’re not worth it-”</p><p> </p><p>Zach sighed, “What did you do?”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t sound angry, so you explained, “Uh… remember how we met?”</p><p> </p><p>“How could I forget?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that but with whiskey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ohho my God,” he began giggling softly, running one hand down his face as the other grabbed your arm, leading you away from the platform back towards the safety of the jet, “You’re <em> ridiculous. </em>”</p><p> </p><p>You grinned as you were led away, happily chuckling with him.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Come to the Dark Side, We Have an Evil Soft Boy and Owl Robots</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chappy six~</p><p>My lord, that chapter title got me cackling. Don't ask me why, I've always been a sucker for the dark side memes ¯\_( 눈 ᴗ 눈 )_/¯</p><p>I tried to write this chapter more from Zach's perspective, and I once again made him an anxious soft boy desperately in need of a friend. Also, robot talk in this one. Kinda. I... know just as much of robotic design as y'all do, so... enjoy my somewhat educated guesses on how this jazz works.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The coldest Kentucky got in winter was about twenty-four degrees, so you weren’t unfamiliar with cold weather. Zach’s yacht was equipped with state of the art heating equipment that ran 24/7 along with the normal mechanics to keep the occupants nice and warm during their stay. Doesn’t seem like there’s any problem, right?</p><p> </p><p>Well, they decided to break today. The <em> first day </em>you and Zach boarded the damn boat, the moment you entered the Arctic Circle. And no amount of cold tolerance could help with Arctic below-bullshit temperatures.</p><p> </p><p>Zach had, thankfully, prepared in case something like this happened. While the zacbots went and fixed the heating system, you stayed in the ship’s wonderfully heated control room with Zach as he worked, wrapped up in layers of blankets as you sipped hot cocoa on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Shivering again, despite your warm conditions, you tugged the blankets closer trying to ignore the itch in your throat. Zach glanced over. You hadn’t said a word since the heat went off, had been on the deck at the time and left in sub zero temperatures, completely unaware of the circumstances for a few minutes before he came up and dragged you below.</p><p> </p><p>“How are you holding up?”</p><p> </p><p>“Besides almost being flash freezed on the deck? Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled, your attitude giving him all the answer he needed. Looking back to the beginnings of  his newest robot design, he shifted his blankets to get more comfortable, “The zacbots will get the system back up and running in no time.”</p><p> </p><p>“You said that an hour ago.”</p><p> </p><p>“These things take time.”</p><p> </p><p>A loud bang filled the ship, the engine that droned in the background growing significantly louder as the low hum that steadily vibrated the ship returned. Zach grinned as he reached over and flicked a switch, turning off the emergency heating as he turned to you.</p><p> </p><p>“See? Why do you doubt me?”</p><p> </p><p>You rolled your eyes at him, “I wasn’t doubting you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh-huh. Sure you weren’t.”</p><p> </p><p>His smile faded when he saw you didn’t respond. Or look at him. Getting up and carefully walking over, he settled next to you, ready to dart away in case you showed any signs of aggression. You didn’t. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you sure you’re okay?”</p><p> </p><p>You nodded, trying to stave off another bout of shivers. It was strange. You didn’t <em> feel </em>cold. In fact, it felt hellishly warm despite you pulling the blankets even closer.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I think so…”</p><p> </p><p>Zach didn’t look convinced.</p><p> </p><p>“You better not be getting sick. I can’t take care of a sick person. I don’t have a clue how to…”</p><p> </p><p>You chuckled at him, “I’m not getting sick, Zach. I’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah? Show me,” The challenge in his voice was clear, and you found yourself rising to it.</p><p> </p><p>Handing Zach your cocoa, you shed your blankets and focused on getting up. Shakily, you managed to stand up, him following suit.</p><p> </p><p> “See? Perfectly fine!”</p><p> </p><p>Taking a step forward, you tried to ignore the stuffiness forming in your head. Zach hummed as he examined you, narrowing his eyes when he saw you stumble a little and he determined, no, you were not perfectly fine. Walking back over to the control panel to put your cocoa next to his before returning to your side, he steadied you just as you tilted a little too far to the left.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, it’s not uncommon for people’s immune system to be weaker in different environments. Someone from Ohio going to Arizona might get a head cold. Someone from New York going to Oklahoma might get a stomach bug,” He readjusted his grip on your arm as he started to lead your shaking form out to the hall, “Someone from Kentucky might go to Brazil and get some unknown virus that might’ve been made worse by Arctic weather.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s suspiciously specific…”</p><p> </p><p>“It relates to our current situation.”</p><p> </p><p>You tiredly giggled at him, reluctantly letting him pull you along, asking, “Zach, did you go to Oklahoma and get a stomach bug before?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not disclosing that.”</p><p> </p><p>He tried to fight his smile as you began softly laughing, but it quickly twisted into a worried frown when coughs wracked you shortly after. Stopping in front of one of the spare rooms he kept in case Donita or another acquaintance needed a lift, the door slid open revealing the neat space.</p><p> </p><p>Your eyes glazed over the room, taking in the new area as he led you to the bed where you collapsed onto the soft mattress. He sighed at you, watching you flop over onto the pillow with a low groan.</p><p> </p><p>“...After some serious consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion I might be sick…”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em> really </em>? What gave you that idea?”</p><p> </p><p>“It feels like someone stuffed a cotton ball in my head.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> A </em> cotton ball?” He walked over to the in-wall storage closet in the corner of the room to grab more blankets for you, “That’s a pretty big cotton ball.”</p><p> </p><p>You hummed tiredly, not wanting to correct yourself. You said what you said.</p><p> </p><p>The weight of the new blankets helped a little, keeping you snuggly pinned to the bed as Zach pressed a hand to your forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“...I’ll have some zacbots check on you in a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm…”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want you getting up until you're better, am I clear?”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, dad.”</p><p> </p><p>He scoffed, flicking your forehead as you chuckled, slowly trailing off as your breathing steadied. His expression softened as he watched you, carefully moving away so he wouldn’t wake you up. Succeeding in leaving the room, Zach went back to the control room to see two zacbots collecting the discarded blankets.</p><p> </p><p>Settling in his chair again, he glanced at your not-so-hot cocoa before looking back at his design. He had been hoping there was an Arctic critter he could use in one of his inventions, but he had quickly discovered there weren’t many animals living in the sub zero temperature, and the ones he <em> did </em>know of were pretty much useless.</p><p> </p><p>...He supposed if he wanted to try to design a spybot an arctic fox or owl would do. If he wanted to go industrial, he knew of a weird horned whale thingy that could chip through ice. He wouldn’t go after polar bears or walruses, he learned his lesson from that…</p><p> </p><p>He scrunched up his face at the memory before cold shot through him, forcing him rigid.</p><p><br/>
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  <em> What would he tell you when the Wild Rats came around?... </em>
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</p><p>You <em> had </em> grown up on a farm, after all. You probably had <em> some </em>form of affinity for animals, and he wasn’t sure if it extended to wildlife. Seeing as you had morals against eating endangered animals, he had little doubt in his mind that you wouldn’t appreciate him putting them in robots.</p><p> </p><p>Then again, you seemed to be somewhat aware of Donita’s preferred design methods with animals, so maybe…</p><p> </p><p><em> Maybe as long as he didn’t </em> hurt <em> them, you wouldn’t mind as much... </em></p><p> </p><p>There wasn’t much problem with that. He needed the animals unharmed and healthy in order to hook them up to his machines, and even then he’d make sure the jagged and electrical bits weren’t injuring the critters in any way.</p><p> </p><p>He scoffed aggressively to himself at the fact that that part was frequently overlooked by literally <em> everyone </em> . He didn’t kill them. He didn’t even <em> try </em>to hurt them. It was usually forces outside of his control that complicated things. Shaking his head, he focused on the tablet in front of him, leaning forward with a scowl. He needed to think of <em> something </em> and stressing over things he couldn’t change was <em> not </em>helping.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘...What if the Rats turn them against you? Then what would happen?’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>His fingers twitched at the thought, and to his horror he felt panic rising in his chest. They <em> were </em> the ‘Good Guys’ after all. The ‘Heros’. You had every reason to consider what they had to say. Everything he'd ever done… <b> <em>Everything...</em> </b></p><p><br/>
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  <em> ‘You’ll lose them…’ </em>
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</p><p>Zach slammed his hand down onto the panel causing the huge screen above him to flash an angry red, illuminating his panicked expression as a single thought echoed around  in his head.</p><p><br/>
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  <em> ‘...I don’t want to be alone again…’ </em>
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</p><p>Really? Had he really grown that attached to you? It seemed like a few weeks ago he was trying to bully you into quitting…</p><p> </p><p>Oh wait… he had been, hadn’t he?</p><p> </p><p>He supposed that was why he had grown to like you so much. You <em> always </em>had the best intentions, even when it came to him. You didn’t mind touching or saving him, you were always patient when he had his occasional tantrum, you’d even make sure he wasn’t overworking or staying up too late.</p><p> </p><p>...You were the closest thing he had to a friend besides Donita and Gormaund…</p><p> </p><p>Maybe even more than either of them. He couldn't remember the last time <em> they </em>ever tried to save him from a giant bug...</p><p> </p><p>His wide eyes drifted over to your drink.</p><p><em> His </em> <b> <em>friend</em></b><em>... </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘...I don’t want to lose them…’ </em>
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</p><p>“... Zacbots?”</p><p> </p><p>The robotic minions looked toward their stressed master.</p><p> </p><p>“I want you to guard them <em> immediately </em> in case the Wild Rats come around,” He turned to them with a steadfast glare, “Their safety is as high priority as mine. Let <em> nothing </em> get past you in case of a breach. <em> That’s an order </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>They beeped, filing the order away in their coding before returning to their previous work.</p><p> </p><p>Trembling, Zach returned his gaze to the tablet. He needed to think of something else. <em> Anything </em>else.</p><p> </p><p>...You grew up on a ranch, right? That meant that there were barns, right..?</p><p> </p><p>Taking a deep breath, he opened a file on the Snowy Owl.</p><p> </p><p>To the extent of his knowledge of a certain owl, barn owls lived in… well barns. You liked owls… right…?</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know, but he was trying to think of a way to carefully introduce you to the other side of his work. The only thing he could think of was just grabbing the cutest critter he could find and simply <em> show </em>you there wasn’t anything dangerous. And the only wildlife he knew of that you would probably be the most comfortable with was…</p><p> </p><p>He sighed, running his hands down his face before focusing on the image of the bird.</p><p> </p><p>An Owl Spybot it was then.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Zach sighed tiredly as he cleaned his hands with a rag, examining the base for the robot. A skullcap so it wouldn’t go crazy and attack anyone, of course. A sliver of metal with a tracker meant to be strapped to its back so he could regularly check it to be sure nothing happens to it. He had designed robotic claws to strap and fit around its natural ones, so that even if a person had a vice grip on whatever was needed to be snatched, they would quickly let go to avoid losing a hand. They might anyway…</p><p> </p><p>Yeah, nevermind, scratch the claws off the design.</p><p> </p><p>He put the rag down and picked up the silver chest-plate with his logo, double checking the equipment that would let him see the vitals and energy of the animal. He had learned after his cheetah race that cheetahs… well, couldn’t just run indefinitely. That meant he had been exhausting the big cat (which wasn’t his intention),  and since he worked for <em> efficiency </em>, that meant he’d have to keep a close eye on the owl’s energy levels to be sure it didn’t drop out of the sky.</p><p> </p><p>He may be an evil egocentric jerk, but he <em> was </em>learning.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>He almost dropped the delicate equipment in fear when he heard the angry shrieking of what he hoped was just an owl.</p><p> </p><p>He had sent the zacbots out with the order to get an owl that didn’t have any chicks so you didn’t get mad at him (of course you still might get mad at him anyway, he knew and had accepted this fact), and it had been about seven hours. Ample time for the robots to discern if the owl was needed or not.</p><p> </p><p>The robots whirred in, one with the bird, whose head was swiveling around shrieking like a dying furby toy.</p><p> </p><p>“Be <em> careful </em>with it!” He hissed, quickly placing the chestplate down so he could grab the skullcap.</p><p> </p><p>It beeped and held it out, keeping its wings carefully pinned as Zach approached. It screamed at him, making his ears ring as he carefully fitted the cap on. His anxieties were calmed when the familiar <em> beep </em> sounded, letting him know that it was now subdued. It stopped shrieking and just stared at nothing, its mind who knew where as the zacbot quickly placed it on the table with the rest of the equipment. He got to work immediately, fitting it with the metal with nimble fingers, making sure the bits weren’t hurting it.</p><p> </p><p>Soon, it was decked out in the metallic armor, still staring.</p><p> </p><p>“There… That looks good.. Alright....” He shook his hands, nervousness filling him, “Alright, alright, alright, just have to get them…”</p><p> </p><p>Walking out of the cargo hold, he headed to your room, trying to think of what to say. Very little came to mind…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Hey! I have a cool robot I want to show you! It uses an owl!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Yes, I do use animals in my inventions. Why do you ask?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Haha, please don’t be mad at me, I used a mostly cute critter so you’d be happy.” </em>
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</p><p>“This isn’t working…” He sighed to himself, reaching the hall where you were currently residing. Stopping in front of the door, he took a deep breath and entered. </p><p> </p><p>Poking in his head, he spotted you in the exact same position he left you in, snoozing away. You certainly looked better, and that was all he could ask for right now. Moving next to the bed, he gently grabbed your shoulder to try to shake you awake. You groaned, blinking your eyes open and focusing on him.</p><p> </p><p>“...You’re not a zacbot…” You mumbled sleepily.</p><p> </p><p>“Heh, no I am not. I had something to show you,” He checked your temperature and was relieved to find you weren’t running a fever anymore, “How are you feeling?”</p><p> </p><p>You slowly sat up, rubbing your eyes as you smiled at him, “Much better, thanks for asking. What do you want to show me?”</p><p> </p><p>“...A robot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Did you finish it?” You got excited, wanting to see the finished product. He hesitated.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong with it?”</p><p> </p><p>He bit his lip, staring at the wall a moment, “...You’ll have to decide for yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>He walked out, leaving you to scramble up to follow him.</p><p> </p><p>“Zach, wait! What’s wrong with it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing’s <em> wrong </em>with it. It’s just… you’ll see.”</p><p> </p><p>Frowning, you, wondered why he looked so nervous, but decided not to push him. Following him to the cargo hold, he stopped right before the entrance.</p><p> </p><p>“...You can go in if you want…” he mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>You raised an eyebrow at him and grabbed his hand, which caused him to let out a noise of protest as you dragged him with you. You stopped short when you saw the metal-clad creature on his work desk.</p><p> </p><p>“Whoa… Is that a snowy owl?”</p><p> </p><p>“Y-Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is it… okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course it is! It’s just… hold on.”</p><p> </p><p>You released him to let him walk over to the station, picking up a remote and pressing a button.</p><p> </p><p>It’s wings spread out, and it immediately clicked.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Holy sweet honey iced tea in the middle of hell’s summer, you turned it into a robot. </em>”</p><p> </p><p>He flinched, slowly turning to you with a worried expression, “...This isn’t what makes you quit, is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” You blinked at him in surprise, “No… No, I’m not quitting because of this, this is <em> so cool! </em>”</p><p> </p><p>You rushed over next to him to examine the owl more closely, buzzing with excitement. It was the first time you’ve seen an owl this close before. Sure there were the barn owls that roosted with the horses, but you always gave them their space, and so they gave you yours. But you’d be lying if you said that being this close to one of the majestic creatures was exhilarating, even if it was currently sitting in robot garb.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool? You think it’s… cool?” You glanced at him and saw he had a dorkishly happy smile on his face. He looked away, still smiling, “...I’m glad you're not mad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Now just why do you think I’d be mad?”</p><p> </p><p>The smile faded, and he got that worried look again.</p><p> </p><p>“...Remember the ‘heros’ Donita was talking about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah..?”</p><p> </p><p>“They don’t exactly approve of my... <em> our </em> ideas for animals. So they… try to stop us.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh. Oh, wait.. <em> Oh.... </em></p><p> </p><p>“Zach… Am I a bad guy in that case?”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded slowly, the fear growing in his eyes as he examined you.</p><p> </p><p>You looked back to the owl, understanding. And yet…</p><p> </p><p>“...It’s still really cool,” you whispered, then a little more fiercely, “If I’m a villain for thinking out of the box ideas are cool, then so be it.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>You felt a soft tap on your shoulder and turned to see Zach holding the remote out to you with a soft grin, obviously ecstatic you didn’t hate him for whatever silly reason.</p><p> </p><p>“In that case, wanna to be the first to test fly it?”</p><p><br/>
You shared the grin, taking the remote with an excited, "Hell yeah."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mwahaha, yes! Fall into the dark side with the evil soft boy!!  \( ► ▿ ◄ )/</p><p>Also, I realize I keep posting the chapters at ungodly hours of the night lmao, I'm so sorry bout that.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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